Suspension Unit for a Curtain Device

ABSTRACT

Suspension unit for a curtain device with at least one curtain guide and at least one curtain, that is suspended on a plurality of the suspension units, with a guide element for guiding the suspension unit in the curtain guide. The suspension unit has a body to which a curtain suspension for attaching a curtain to the suspension unit, and the guide element, are connected. At least the body consists of at least two different material sections which differ in terms of their hardness.

This invention relates to a suspension unit body for a suspension devicewith at least one track in which the suspension unit is movably borne.The suspension unit is designed as roller unit or as sliding unit.

For installation of curtains, these curtains are often provided with amultiplicity of suspension units on an upper edge, such as rollers orgliders, which are borne in a track in a way movable in longitudinaldirection. The track can be mounted e.g. on a ceiling or a wall.Depending upon the construction of the suspension unit various problemscan arise when pulling or pushing the suspension units in the track,such as, for example, too great a friction between individual componentsof the curtain device, noise generation from the movement in the track,e.g. through vibrations, sluggish or rough movement during pulling orpushing of the suspension units and noise through interaction of thesuspension units among themselves.

Known from DE 3400118 is e.g. a roller unit in which a body consists ofa first material and a roller, of a second material, running through thebody. Thereby achieved is a reduction of noise during the movement ofthe roller units on the running surface of a track. The roller isproduced in one piece in a two-component injection molding method. Firsta shaft part is produced from a plastic and then races are formed on theshaft part by means of which the roller unit is seated on the track. Thematerial for the races is an elastic, and thus noise-reducing, plasticmaterial. Through an axial channel in the shaft part, the material isinjected into the race regions outside on the shaft part, whereby thechannel is also filled up, so that the roller has a noise-dampingfilling. A damping of the noise generation by the body, which carriesthe roller, is not foreseen.

DE 19539825 shows gliders with a base body for insertion in a track. Thebase body has a molded-on elastic carrying element which is produced ina two-component technique. The elastic carrying element serves as acatch and snap-fitting connection between the gliders and the track. Theparticular shaping or molding of the elastic carrying element is madepossible owing to the two-component technique, so that this element canbe easily inserted into the track. Problems during movement of thesuspension unit in the track, as mentioned by way of example above, arenot taken into account with this construction. Instead the elasticmaterial has a braking effect in the track.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a suspension unitfor a curtain device and a curtain device which reduce theabove-mentioned problems, in particular contribute to noise reductionduring actuation of the curtain device and facilitate use of the curtaindevice.

This object is achieved by the invention by means of a suspension unitaccording to claim 1 and a curtain device according to claim 15.Advantageous embodiments and further embodiment examples are describedin the dependent claims.

A suspension unit for a curtain device according to the presentinvention has a body, to which at a first end a guide element isconnected and at a second end a curtain suspension is connected. Theguide element is provided for guiding the suspension unit in a curtainguide of the curtain device such as e.g. a track or a rail. The guideelement can be pulled or pushed along the curtain guide. Provided forattachment of a curtain to the suspension unit, is the curtainsuspension, such as e.g. a ring, a hook, a grommet or the like.According to the invention, at least the body is made up of at least twodifferent material sections which differ in their hardness. This meansthat provided is at least a first hard material section and a second,soft material section, whereby the hard material of the hard materialsection is harder in relation to the soft material of the soft materialsection. The different material sections can be of the same substance,but however with differing material characteristics with respect tohardness. Also different substances can however be used for the hard andthe soft material section. The body of the suspension unit is preferablydesigned as two-component body. It should however not be excluded that athird or still a further material section is used for the suspensionunit whose hardness differs from the first and the second materialsection.

By means of the construction of the body out of two material sections ofdifferent hardness, the body can at least partially absorb or dampentensions and vibrations which arise e.g. through the movement of thesuspension unit, through interaction with the curtain guide or throughforce effects from the pulling during actuation of the suspension unit,thus e.g. when pulling open or closed a curtain in the curtain guide.This leads to a reduction of the noise generation during the operationof the curtain and reduces the necessary application of force foractuation of the curtain.

The suspension unit is suitable for any type of curtain installationswith a curtain guide, for example for textile curtains or verticalblinds, for shading or partitioning of rooms, on windows or on walls.

The body of the suspension unit can be designed as a frame or a type ofopen housing with lateral supports. The body is substantially box-shapedwith the guide element on the upper, first end and the curtainsuspension on the lower, second end. The supports are preferablyprovided on the outer edges of the body and extend from the upper to thelower end, the ends forming a termination of the body. The frame ispreferably made of a hard material, and interim spaces between thesupports are covered or filled with a soft material at least on oppositesides of the body. The hard material gives the frame a certainstiffness, while the soft material serves for support and damping. Aninterior space between the supports can be covered or at least almostfilled with a soft material. This means that the inner sides of theframe or respectively of the supports and also the end terminations canbe covered with the soft material. The interior space can also be filledcompletely with the soft material. The frame preferably has acircumferential region of hard material around the upper and the lowerend and/or in circumferential direction around the lateral supports.Thus there exists an uninterrupted region of hard material around atleast one of these circumferential directions. This construction givesthe body stability.

In a curtain guide of a curtain device, as a rule, a multiplicity ofsuspension units are strung behind one another in order to hold acurtain. In a variant of the body in which opposite sides are filledwith soft material, these sides are preferably situated in pullingdirection of the suspension unit, thus forming in pulling direction afront and a rear side of the body. The front and rear sides of the bodyof the individual suspension units are situated opposite one another andcan bump into each other when they are moved in the curtain guide. Thesoft material preferably protrudes beyond the supports of the frame atleast in direction of impact. The suspension units therefore hit oneanother with a surface made of soft material, whereby the impact andthus an impact noise can be damped.

The damping features depend, on the one hand, on the type of substancesused and, on the other hand, on the volumetric and dimensional relationsof the material sections. These are adapted to the conditions of aparticular curtain device. In principle, the same substance can be usedfor the hard and the soft material sections, however with differinghardness. Used can be e.g. polyoxymethylene (POM), polypropylene (PP),or polyamide (PA). Different substances can also be used however. Thenamed substances are particularly suitable for the hard materialsection. The soft material section be a caoutchouc such as is known e.g.by the name of Santoprene™, polyether block amide or PEBA or Pebax®,Hytrel®, Crastin® PBT or ABS Novodur®.

In a body according to the invention, an interim space volume betweentwo supports of hard material can be filled with a soft material. Theinterior space between the supports of the body can also be lined with asoft material. The body preferably has a soft material in an upperregion between the supports, to which the guide element is connected.This soft end region can form a kind of damping cushion for the guideelement. The soft material section is thereby predominantly not situatedon an outer side of the body, but instead the body is terminatedpredominantly by a hard material. The hard material section canencompass e.g. the terminal ends of the frame, which span the supportsof the frame.

The guide element has a connection (44) or a shaft (8) through a region(11) of the body (1) filled with a soft material.

In a first embodiment of a suspension unit according to the invention aroller device is provided as guide element on the first, upper end ofthe body, which roller device is borne or rests in a rollable way on thecurtain guide. The roller device has a shaft through a part of the bodyfilled with a soft material. This can be e.g. the above-described softend region of the frame. The roller device preferably has two rollers,which are connected to the shaft and protrude beyond the body on bothsides, so that they can rest and roll on the curtain guide of thecurtain device, as is already known. The movement of the rollers,respectively of the shaft in the body, can be damped by the soft region.Furthermore, during pulling or pushing of the curtain, an actuation ofthe suspension units is transmitted to the rollers in a damped way.Vibrations and swinging movements which arise with the movement of thesuspension unit are thus hardly transmitted to the body.

Preferably a shaft bearing sleeve of hard material is provided in theregion filled with a soft material at the end of the body, through whichsleeve the shaft of the roller device extends. The shaft bearing sleeveis held in a damped way in the soft material. Alternatively, the shaftbearing sleeve can be connected to the hard material of the body, forexample through crosspieces or ribs. The hard material of the shaftbearing sleeve makes possible, on the other hand, a reduction of thefriction when the shaft turns in the shaft bearing sleeve, compared withthe soft material. A pulling or pushing of the curtain is therebyfacilitated. The shaft bearing sleeve can be designed as bearing bushingand can securely guide the roller device.

The roller device itself can also be produced in a two-componentconstruction. The shaft preferably has outside a hard material whiche.g. slides well in the shaft bearing sleeve, and the rollers have asoft material at least on the outside so that a rolling on the curtainguide is damped.

In a second embodiment of a suspension unit according to the invention,a sliding element is provided as guide element on the first, upper endof the body, which sliding element is borne in a sliding way on thecurtain guide. On the outer side of the sliding element, which abuts thecurtain guide, the sliding element consists of a hard material. Comparedwith a soft material, the hard material on the outer side facilitatesthe sliding on the surface of the curtain guide. The sliding elementpreferably has a soft material in an interior region. For example, thesliding element can be constructed around the soft region at the end ofthe frame, as described above. The outwardly situated hard material ofthe sliding element can be connected to the frame of the body. Forexample, the sliding element is designed as end termination of the body.The hard material of the sliding element can however also be offset withrespect to the supports of the frame of the body and be connected to thebody via the soft inner region. Alternatively, the sliding element canbe a separate element of the suspension unit and can be borne in thebody of the suspension element, for example in the soft end region ofthe frame, in a similar way as described above for the roller device.The materials used for the sliding element correspond substantially tothe materials or substances of the body.

In a variant, the suspension unit can receive the guide element in afloating way, so that the guide element is slightly movable relative tothe body. The floating bearing preferably takes place through anaccommodation of the guide element in the soft material section of thebody. The guide element can be borne on the body e.g. by means of aconnection or a shaft which extends through a region of the body filledwith a soft material. The soft material is sufficiently flexible so thatit can yield slightly during movement of the guide element. Thus theguide element is slightly movable relative to the hard material sectionof the body. The bearing can take place e.g. through the accommodationof the shaft of the roller device or of the sliding element in the softmaterial section. In particular the floating accommodation can beachieved through bearing of the shaft bearing sleeve in the softmaterial section. By means of the floating bearing, a damping of themovement of the guide element can take place, as described above.

In an embodiment of the suspension unit, at a second end of the body thesoft material section of the body has a bearing of soft material formovable bearing of the curtain suspension. The bearing can be providede.g. by a slit or an opening through which an anchor-like counterbearing of the curtain suspension can be led, so that it abuts firmly onthe soft material. Alternatively the curtain suspension can also beshaped in a fixed way on the body.

A further aspect of the invention relates to the advantageous design ofthe body for a suspension unit and a curtain device with at least onecurtain guide and at least one curtain, which is suspended on aplurality of suspension units with a guide element for guiding of thesuspension units in the curtain guide. The suspension units are designedin accordance with the above-described features.

The invention has been described with reference to a plurality ofembodiments. The individual technical features of one embodiment canabsolutely be used also in combination with another embodiment with thedescribed advantages. The description of the inventive technicalfeatures is thus not limited to the respective embodiment.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are presented in the followingwith reference to the drawings, which serve merely explanatory purposesand are not to be interpreted in a limiting way. Features of theinvention disclosed by the drawings should be considered as belonging tothe disclosure of the invention individually and in any combination. Inthe drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a first embodiment of asuspension unit with a roller device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional partial view of the first embodiment ofthe suspension unit according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section through a first longitudinal axisthrough the suspension unit according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section through a longitudinal axis,orthogonal to the first longitudinal axis, through the suspension unitaccording to FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of a body of the first embodiment of thesuspension unit according to FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 shows a three-dimensional view of a second embodiment of asuspension unit with a first sliding element according to the invention,

FIG. 7 shows a longitudinal section through the suspension unitaccording to FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 shows a three-dimensional view of a third embodiment of asuspension unit with a second sliding element according to theinvention,

FIG. 9 shows a longitudinal section through the suspension unitaccording to FIG. 8,

FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of a body of the third embodiment of thesuspension unit according to FIG. 8 and

FIG. 11 shows a three-dimensional view of a fourth embodiment of asuspension unit with a roller device according to the invention,

FIG. 12 shows a longitudinal section through a first longitudinal axisthrough the suspension unit according to FIG. 11,

FIG. 13 shows a longitudinal section through a longitudinal axis,orthogonal to the first longitudinal axis, through the suspension unitaccording to FIG. 11,

FIG. 14 shows an exploded view of a body of the fourth embodiment of thesuspension unit according to FIG. 11.

FIGS. 1 to 14 show different embodiments of a suspension unit for acurtain device according to the present invention with different guideelements, which has a body 1, a curtain suspension 2 for attachment of acurtain to the body 1 and a guide element 3 for guiding the suspensionunit in a curtain guide of the curtain device. The guide element 3connects to a first, upper end of the body 1 and the curtain suspension2 connects to a second, lower end of the body 1. The body 1 consists ofat least two different material sections, which differ in theirhardness. The body is produced in an injection molding method, forexample. Materials or substances are used as described above. The samereference numerals shall be used for comparable elements in thedifferent embodiments with comparable functions. In particular thebodies 1 of the different embodiments have a similar structure, so thatits description can be referred to for all embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a suspension unit for a curtaindevice according to the present invention with a guide element in theform of a roller device. The structure of the body 1 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 5. The body 1 is composed of a hard materialsection 20, a soft material section 30 and a shaft bearing sleeve 12 ofhard material. The hard material section 20 and the soft materialsection 30 can each be composed of a plurality of regions of a hard or asoft material or such a substance. Although in the exploded view theindividual parts are shown as separate elements, in order to render thedetails more visible, the body is however designed as one piece.

The hard material section 20 is designed as frame and has lateralsupports 4 at four edges of the hard material section. On a front and arear side open interim spaces are formed, between the supports 4, in theform of aperture 18. The frame is open on both sides. The supports 4 areconnected to one another by a terminal end 6 in the form of an arch-likebridging structure and below by a bottom element 16. Provided in thebottom element 16 is a slit or slot for introduction of the curtainsuspension. In the interior between the supports 4 an interior space 17of the frame is formed.

The soft material section 30 is designed in a precisely fitted way forthe interior space 17 of the hard material section 20 and abuts on itsinner sides, except in the region of the bottom element 16, whichremains free of soft material. In particular the soft material section30 has on the front and rear side an interim space filling 5, an uppersoft region 11 and a central soft region 15. The interim space filling 5penetrates between the supports of the hard material section 20. Theupper soft region 11 has an axial passage 19, which extends from oneside to the other side of the body in a way perpendicular to a pullingor pushing direction of the suspension unit. The central soft region 15fills the interior space 17 approximately in the upper half of the body,so that an interim space 14 remains free in the lower half. Protrudingdownwardly from the central soft region 15 are extensions 13, which forma lining of the inner side of the supports 4.

The shaft bearing sleeve 12 is constituted by a sleeve with a length, sothat the sleeve protrudes slightly beyond the passage 19 of the softmaterial section 30; for this see also FIG. 2. The shaft bearing sleeve12 has on its circumference a multiplicity of ribs 21, which lie ingrooves in the inner circumference of the passage 19.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the interim space fillings 5 of the softmaterial section protrude on the front and rear side beyond the supports4 of the hard material section. In the other regions around thecircumference of the body the outside of the body is composed of hardmaterial. On the front and the rear side of the body there ispredominantly a soft material situated outside.

Inserted in the bottom element 16 of the hard material section 20 is thecurtain suspension 2. On a lower end the curtain suspension has acurtain fastener 9 in the form of a ring. On the upper end an anchorelement 10 is provided, which is hung in the bottom element 16 and comesto lie in the interim space 14 of the body 1. Alternatively otherdesigns are also possible as curtain suspension, such as e.g. shown inthe embodiment of FIGS. 11 to 14 or as is known from the state of theart.

Provided as guide element 3 on the upper end of the body 1 is a rollerdevice, which has rollers 7 and a shaft 8. The shaft 8 extends throughthe shaft bearing sleeve 12 and disposed on both ends of the shaft 8 isone roller 7 each. The rollers 7 protrude beyond the sides of the body1, so that they rest on a curtain guide of a curtain device and are ableto be guided thereby. The rollers 7 are rotatable with respect to thebody 1. The shaft 8 of the guide element 3 runs through the upper softregion 11 of the soft material section. Preferably the soft material ofthe upper soft region 11 is flexible in such a way that the shaft 8 isslightly movable within the soft region 11. Thus a kind of floatingbearing of the shaft can take place. Alternatively, the shaft bearingsleeve can be connected to the hard material section e.g. through rigidcrosspieces or ribs, so that the shaft bearing sleeve is fixed relativeto the body and guides the shaft 8 in a stationary way.

If a multiplicity of suspension units are inserted in a curtain guidefor guiding a curtain, these units can be moved in the usual way in alongitudinal direction of the curtain guide, for example by pulling onthe curtain. The suspension unit preferably has on the body 1 laterallyon the hard material section a pull cord attachment 22, however, onwhich a pull cord can be attached, which connects together theindividual suspension units. By pulling on the cord in one direction orthe other, the suspension units can be moved along the curtain guide.The pull cord attachment can be achieved e.g. by means of a clamp.

For curtain positioning the suspension units are moved along the curtainguide. Tensions, swinging movements or vibrations arising thereby aredamped by means of the soft material in the body 2, as mentioned at thebeginning. If the individual suspension units bump into one another, theinterim space fillings 5 of the soft material of the individualsuspension units hit one another, so that noise generation is reduced.

It can be seen from FIG. 2 that the shaft bearing sleeve 12 protrudeslaterally beyond the upper soft region 11. The rollers 7 on the shaft 8are thus kept spaced apart from the soft material 11, so that therollers 8 are not braked by the soft material.

Shown in FIG. 3 is the suspension unit in a longitudinal section throughthe front and rear side. As described previously, the curtain suspension2 with the anchor element 10 is hung in the bottom element 16 of thehard material section, and the shaft 8 of the roller device lies in theshaft bearing sleeve 12 in the upper soft region 11, which is coveredupwardly by the terminal end 6 of the hard material frame. The interimspace fillings 5 protrude beyond the front and rear side. The interiorspace of the hard material frame is filled at least in the upper halfwith soft material by means of the upper soft region 11 and the centralsoft region 15. The central soft region 15 passes over into the interimspace fillings 5 and the extensions 13. Below the central soft region 15an interim space 14 remains free, in which the anchor element 10 can beinserted and borne in a movable way. Despite the portion of softmaterial, the body has a sufficient stiffness, owing to the structure ofthe hard material section, in order to be able to guide a curtain in thecurtain guide.

Shown in FIG. 4 is the suspension unit in a longitudinal section throughthe side of the body 1. The shaft 8 of the roller device extends throughthe shaft bearing sleeve 12, which protrudes on both sides beyond theupper soft region 11. The rollers 7 are fixed at the ends of the shaft 8by axle caps 23. A spacing remains between the inner side of the rollers7 and the outer side of the upper soft region 11 and also the terminalend 6. As already mentioned, the rollers can be composed of hardmaterial on the outside and have in the interior a soft material, whiche.g. abuts a shaft of hard material.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of a suspension unit according to thepresent invention which has a sliding element as guide element. The body1 and the curtain suspension 2 correspond to those of the firstembodiment as it is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5. The sliding element comprisestwo gliders 40, which are disposed on the body 1 on the right and theleft and protrude beyond this body. The gliders 40 are designed aselements with an oval or elliptical outer circumference, with which thegliders abut on or against the curtain guide of a curtain device and areable to be shifted thereon. The gliders 40 preferably have a hardmaterial section on the outer circumference. The gliders 40 can have aregion of soft material inside.

As can be seen from FIG. 7, the gliders 40 are borne on the body 1 inthe same way as the rollers 7 of the first embodiment. Reference istherefore made also to the description in this respect. The gliders 40are disposed substantially at both ends of the shaft 8, which extendsthrough the body 1. The shaft 8 is provided in the soft end region 11 ofthe body 1. The soft end region 11 can damp the movements of the gliders40. There is a floating bearing of the gliders 40, as already explainedabove. Provided between the soft end region 11 and the shaft 8 is onceagain a shaft bearing sleeve 12 made of a hard material, so that thereis good sliding ability between the hard shaft 8 and the hard shaftbearing sleeve 12 when the shaft 8 rotates in the shaft bearing sleeve12.

The gliders 40 in this embodiment are borne in a movable way relative tothe body 1. With a shifting of the suspension unit on the curtain guide,on the one hand, the gliders 40 can roll with their outer circumferenceon the curtain guide and thus assume an optimal position for the slidingmovement. On the other hand, the body 1 with the curtain suspension 2can be tilted relative to the curtain guide and thus can also assume anoptimal position for the shifting of the suspension unit. Resultingtherefrom is a simple sliding of the suspension units along the curtainguide and a reduction of the force necessary to do this.

Provided in FIGS. 8 to 10 is a third embodiment of a suspension unitaccording to the invention with a sliding element as guide element,which is fixed relative to the body. The body 1 is designed on its upperend in a way corresponding to the previous embodiments, and has a hardmaterial section 20 with terminal end 6 and supports 4 and a softmaterial section 30 with a passage 19 in the upper region and interimspace fillings 5, as previously described. In this embodiment the softmaterial section 30 of the body 1 extends from the upper to the lowerend in the hard material section 20. At its lower end the body 1 has aflat bottom element 16, on which a curtain suspension 2 is provided in afixed way. The curtain suspension 2 is preferably designed in one piecewith the body 1 and thus belongs to the hard material section of thesuspension unit. The curtain suspension 2 has a curved part protrudingdownward from the body 1 as curtain fastener 9, which forms a passage,so that a curtain can be attached to the curved part, for example byhooking, clipping or sewing.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sliding element has two gliders 40′, whichprotrude on both sides in an upper region of the body 1 and are able torest on a curtain guide. The shape of the gliders 40′ correspondssubstantially to the shape of the gliders 40 of the second embodiment.As can be seen from FIG. 10, the gliders 40′ are rigidly connected toone another through an elongated connection 44. The connection 44 is ofcylindrical design, <and> has on the outer circumference a plurality ofribs 45 running in longitudinal direction. The connection is comparableto the shaft bearing sleeve 12 of the previous embodiments.Alternatively the connection 44 could also have an elongated form withan angular outer circumference.

Die connection 44 of the gliders 40′ is disposed in a torque-proof wayin the passage 19 of the soft material section 30, as shown in FIG. 9.The ribs 45 engage in recesses in the circumference of the passage 19,in order to prevent a rotation of the connection 44 in the body 1. Theconnection 44 is preferably of hard material. Through the bearing of theconnection 44 in the soft material section 30 of the body 1, the gliders40′ are borne in a floating way relative to the body 1. With movement ofthe connection 44 in the material section 30 the soft material candeform in a flexible way and damp the movement of the gliders 40′.

The individual elements of the suspension unit in the form of the body1, the curtain suspension 2 and the guide element 3 are in thisembodiment rigid with respect to one another. The suspension unit ispreferably produced by a two-component injection molding process, aspreviously described.

With a displacement of the suspension unit along the curtain guide, thesuspension unit can roll away on the oval or elliptical contact surfacesof the gliders 40′ so that the suspension unit can be tilted relative tothe curtain guide and can assume a smooth-running position. Themovements of the suspension units along the curtain guide of the curtaindevice are damped by the soft material sections of the suspension units,so that noise generation is diminished and an easy adjustment of acurtain of the curtain device becomes possible.

FIGS. 11 to 14 show a fourth embodiment of a suspension unit for acurtain device according to the present invention with a guide elementin the form of a roller device, comparable to the first embodiment.Structural elements with the same function are designated by the samereference numerals. The body 1 comprises a hard material section 20 anda soft material section 30. Integrated in the hard material section 20is a shaft bearing 50, which is formed by means of cross-pieces 51 onthe upper end of the hard material section 20.

The hard material section 20 acts as a frame and again has lateralsupports 4 at four edges of the hard material section. The frame is openon both sides. On the front and rear side the apertures 18 are filled inby the interim space filling 5. The supports 4 are connected to oneanother above by a terminal end 6 and below by a bottom element 16.Provided in the bottom element 16 is a keyhole-type opening with anarrow entry region 53 and a round bearing region 54, whose diameter isgreater than the width of the entry region 53. Formed in the interiorbetween the supports 4 is the interior space 17 of the frame. The hardmaterial section 20 has a pull cord attachment 22, to which a pull cordcan be fixed which connects together the individual suspension units.

The soft material section 30 is designed for the interior space 17 ofthe hard material section 20 in a form-fitting way and abuts its innersides, except in the region of the bottom element 16 over the entryregion 53 and bearing region 54. The soft material section 30 has inthis embodiment a gap 55, which extends parallel to the shaft bearing50. The gap 55 runs somewhat farther than to the middle of the softmaterial section 30. It can also be longer, however. The gap 55 does notcompletely divide the soft material section 30, however. The gap 55 issituated approximately between the upper soft region 11 and the centralsoft region 15. Furthermore the soft material section 30 has an axialpassage 19. The gap 55 of the soft material section 30 and thecrosspieces 51 of the hard material section 20 are best seen in FIG. 14.The suspension unit is provided in fact as a single piece, thecrosspieces 51 coming to lie in the gaps 55. The upper soft region 11and the central soft region 15 of the soft material section 30 therebysurround the shaft bearing 50 of the hard material section 20.

In a way similar to that of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the interim spacefillings 5 of the soft material section protrude on the front and rearsides beyond the supports 4 of the hard material section, as can be seenin FIG. 11. In the other regions around the circumference of the body,the outside of the body is constituted by hard material. On the frontand rear side of the body, predominantly a soft material is situatedoutside.

Inserted into the bearing region 54 in the bottom element 16 of the hardmaterial section 20 is the curtain suspension 2. Borne at the lower endof the curtain suspension is the curtain fastener 9 in the form of aring. Provided on the upper end is the anchor element 10, which is hungin the bearing region 54. Foreseen above the ring bearing is ahorizontal bearing surface 56, from which a vertical extension 57protrudes upwardly, which ends with the anchor element 10. The extension57 is designed round with two opposite flat areas 58. The diameter ofthe extension 57 in the region of the flat areas 58 corresponds to thewidth of the entry region 53. The diameter of the extension 57 in thecircular region is bigger and corresponds to the diameter of the bearingregion 54. The diameter of the anchor element 10 is bigger than thediameter of the bearing region 54.

To insert the curtain suspension 2 into the bearing region 54, theextension 57 is aligned to the entry region 53 in such a way that it canbe pushed through this entry region. In the bearing region 54 theextension 57 is rotated by about 90° so that the extension 57 no longerfits through the entry region 53. The bearing surface 56 thereby comesto be situated on the lower side of the bottom element 16 and the anchorelement 10 on the upper side of the bottom element 16. The curtainsuspension 2 is securely held in this position in the body 1.

Provided as on the upper end of the body 1 is again a roller device asguide element 3 comprising rollers 7 and shaft 8. The shaft 8 extendsthrough the shaft bearing 50, and disposed on both ends of the shaft 8is one roller 7 each. The rollers 7 protrude beyond the sides of thebody 1, so that they rest on a curtain guide of a curtain device and canbe guided thereby. The shaft 8 of the guide element 3 runs through theupper soft region 11 of the soft material section 30, as alreadydescribed with respect to the embodiment according to FIG. 1.

Shown in FIG. 12 is the suspension unit in a longitudinal sectionthrough the front and rear side. As previously described, the curtainsuspension 2 with the bearing surface 56, the extension 57 and theanchor element 10 is held in the bearing region 54 of the bottom element16. The shaft 8 of the roller device lies in the shaft bearing 50, whichlies in the upper soft region 11. The interim space fillings 5 protrudebeyond the front and rear side. The interior space of the hard materialframe is filled, at least in the upper half, with soft material. Belowthe central soft region 15 an interim space 14 remains empty in whichthe anchor element 10 can be inserted in a movable way and borne.

Shown in FIG. 13 is the suspension unit in a longitudinal sectionthrough the sides of the body 1. The shaft 8 of the roller deviceextends through the shaft bearing 50, which shaft protrudes on bothsides beyond the upper soft region 11. The rollers 7 are attached at theends of the shaft 8. As FIG. 13 shows, the soft material section 30 inthis direction is narrower than the hard material section 20, so thatthe hard material protrudes beyond the upper soft material section 11and the central soft material section 15. Thus, on their inner sides,the rollers 7 are situated opposite the hard material on which theyslide more easily when rolling than on the soft material.

List of Reference Numerals  1 body  2 curtain suspension  3 guideelement  4 support  5 interim space filling  6 terminal end  7 rollers 8 shaft  9 curtain fastener 10 anchor element 11 upper soft region 12shaft bearing sleeve 13 extension 14 interim space 15 central softregion 16 bottom element 17 interior space 18 interim space 19 passage20 hard material section 21 ribs 22 pull cord attachment 23 cap 30 softmaterial section 40, 40′ gliders 44 connection 45 ribs 50 shaft bearing51 crosspiece 53 entry region 54 bearing region 55 gap 56 bearingsurface 57 extension 58 flat area

1. A suspension unit for a curtain device, comprising a body to which isconnected a curtain suspension for attaching a curtain to the suspensionunit, and a guide element for guiding the suspension unit in a curtainguide of the curtain device, wherein the body has a hard materialsection and a soft material section, which differ in their hardness, thehard material section having an interior space which is lined, or atleast partially filled, with the soft material section.
 2. Thesuspension unit according to claim 1, wherein the body has a frame withlateral supports, which belong to the hard material section, and whereininterim spaces between the supports are covered or filled with the softmaterial section at least on opposite sides of the body.
 3. Thesuspension unit according to claim 2, wherein an interior space of theframe between the supports is covered or at least partially filled withthe soft material section.
 4. The suspension unit according to claim 1,wherein the soft material section protrudes beyond the hard materialsection at least in direction of movement of the suspension unit in thecurtain guide.
 5. The suspension unit according to claim 1, wherein thebody receives the guide element in a floating way.
 6. The suspensionunit according to claim 1, wherein the guide element has a connection ora shaft through a region of the body filled with a soft material.
 7. Thesuspension unit according to claim 6, wherein a shaft bearing or a shaftbearing sleeve made of a hard material is provided in the region of thebody filled with the soft material.
 8. The suspension unit according toclaim 1, wherein provided as guide element is a sliding element withgliders, which is borne in a sliding way on the curtain guide, or aroller device with rollers, which is borne in a rollable way on thecurtain guide, and the guide element is composed of a hard material onits outer side which abuts the curtain guide.
 9. The suspension unitaccording to claim 8, wherein the sliding element or the roller devicehas an inner volume with a soft material.
 10. The suspension unitaccording to claim 1, wherein provided as guide element at a first endof the body is a sliding element, which is borne in a movable way in thebody.
 11. The suspension unit according to claim 8, wherein the glidersare rigidly disposed on a connection, which extends through a region ofthe body filled with a soft material.
 12. The suspension unit accordingto claim 1, wherein the body has at a second end a bearing made of thesoft material section for movable bearing of the curtain suspension. 13.The suspension unit according to claim 1, wherein a substance of thehard material section consists of polyoxymethylene (POM), polypropylene(PP), or polyamide (PA) and a substance of the soft material sectionconsists of caoutchouc.
 14. A body for a suspension unit for a curtaindevice according to claim 1, which consists of at least two differentmaterial sections that differ in their hardness.
 15. A curtain devicewith at least one curtain guide and at least one curtain which issuspended on a plurality of suspension units with a guide element (3)for guiding of the suspension units in the curtain guide, the suspensionunits being designed according to claim 1.